VCDL: MMM report from Richmond

dZ · May 18, 2004, 09:10 PM

VA-ALERT: MMM meeting in Richmond a bust!

Actually I should have reworded that title ;-)

The press conference started shortly after Richmond Mayor McCollum
arrived in the bright pink Million Mom March gun-ban-mobile.

The Richmond NBC affiliate, Channel 12, had its cameras rolling as
the Mayor addressed no one but the staff of the MMM march and 25
children, most of whom looked bored, behind him. In fact the only
people in front of the mayor were Channel 12 and VCDL! Literally I
did not see a single adult that wasn't on the staff of MMM, on the
staff of VAHV, or a politician. We had 6 adults (5 men and 1 woman)
and no kids. We held up a "Guns Save Lives" banner and directed it
towards the press conference.

As far as politicians, there were two: Mayor McCollum and Delegate
Eisenberg (thanks Northern Virginia for sending us another anti-gun
delegate). Delegate Eisenburg, as you may recall, was going to
submit a 50 caliber gun ban this year, but in the end didn't do it
(smart move on his part). However, he told the invisible crowd today
that he was going to put in an "assault weapon ban" bill next year,
along with a .50 caliber bill. I look forward to working for the
defeat of Delegate Eisenberg's bills in January.

When the invisible crowd left, Delegate Eisenberg made a point of
walking through our group to get to his car. We politely parted to
let him through, but it was almost like he wanted a confrontation
based on his demeanor. He picked to wrong group of people if that's
what he wanted.

Toward the end of the press conference one of the speakers addressed
the children, pointed to our group, and said "We have them
outnumbered!" Yes, and the moon is made of green cheese. A NATIONAL
organization and its local affiliate could not turn out a single
adult concerned citizen and THEY have US outnumbered? Silly me, I
keep forgetting that according to their lobbyist, Robert Ricker, none
of our victories this year would have happened if the anti-gunners
had felt a need to block our bills ;-)

I called Channel 12 to complain about our group not being interviewed
so that we could give the opposing argument. The news person who
answered the phone apologized, saying that the crew was called off
early because of breaking news elsewhere. I will give them the
benefit of the doubt because one of the camera guys did get a call on
his cell phone just before they pulled up stakes and left a little
prematurely. The news person said that someone might call me tonight
and interview me over the telephone. We'll see...

Anyway, we now pass the baton to our North Carolina neighbors. The
MMMs are heading to Raleigh. I assume the invisible crowd will be
following them down there.

RAY WOODROW 3RD · May 18, 2004, 09:24 PM

Where did this happen, at the state house? Is anybody else in their "touring states" going to provide a counter rally of some sort?

dZ · May 18, 2004, 09:35 PM

Gun Ban Lobby Aims for Wrong Target; Brady Moms Should Push for Controlling Criminals, Not Law-Abiding Gun Owners

5/18/2004 4:29:00 PM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To: National Desk

Contact: David Adams of Virginia Shooting Sports Association, 804-382-9501 or http://www.myvssa.org

RICHMOND, May 18 /U.S. Newswire/ -- As the Million Mom March pink RV rolls into Richmond to push for re-authorization of the Clinton Gun Ban, the Virginia Shooting Sports Association (VSSA), the state affiliate of the National Rifle Association, urged Congress to let the ban expire as scheduled on September 13th.

Steve Canale, President of the VSSA said, "Sadly, Mayor McCollum is following in the footsteps of his predecessor Tim Kaine, bowing at the alter of the Million Mom March and their call for more restrictive gun control."

Canale continued, "Today the gun ban lobby has traveled to Virginia to renew their call for reauthorization of the Clinton gun ban. Even the gun ban lobby's own Tom Diaz (Violence Policy Center) told NPR on March 11, 2004 that, 'If the existing assault weapons ban expires, I personally do not believe it will make one whit of difference one way or another in terms of our objective, which is reducing death and injury and getting a particularly lethal class of firearms off the streets. So if it doesn't pass, it doesn't pass.'"

Faced with the prospect of the Clinton gun ban expiring on September 13, the gun ban lobby is once again engaging in a desperate and deceptive political campaign. In this latest attempt to push their political agenda through blatant hype and deliberate misinformation, the Brady Campaign, in referring to "Uzis" and "AK-47s," states that, these specific firearms will be in our neighborhoods unless the Clinton gun ban is renewed.

"The truth is that AK-47s and Uzis were prohibited in 1989, under federal firearm importation law, five years prior to the enactment the Clinton ban! The expiration of the Clinton gun ban will not in any way affect this previous law. The gun ban lobby including the Brady Campaign is lying. This RV tour is more about politics than sound policy. What works is locking up violent criminals, not taking away the rights of law abiding citizens" Canale said.

More facts about semi-automatic firearms that the gun ban lobby does not tell the public:

-- Firearms branded as "assault weapons" have never been used in more than 1 percent-2 percent of violent crimes according to police reports and felon surveys, and in only 0.25 percent of violent crimes reported in crime victim surveys. Congress` study found that the guns "were never used in more than a modest fraction of all gun murders."3 Knives, clubs and bare hands are used in more than 20 times more murders.

-- Millions of Americans use semi-autos for hunting, target shooting and protection. Guns like the hunting and target shooting rifles shown below would be banned under federal and/or state "assault weapon" bills. The Remington Models 7400 and 7600, and Browning BAR, are popular deer rifles. Remington`s Model 1100 and Beretta`s Model 391 shotguns are widely used for hunting and sport shooting. The Colt AR-15 and Springfield M1A are the nation's most popular rifles for marksmanship competitions. Ruger Ranch Rifles and 10/22s are popular hunting and plinking rifles.

AR-15 National Match Rifle

Springfield National Match Rifle

-- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says it can "in no way vouch for the validity" of Brady Campaign's claim that the federal "assault weapon" law reduced crime. Brady mischaracterized BATFE`s firearm chain-of-commerce traces, which the Congressional Research Service says "are not accurate indicators" of criminal gun use. Most guns that are traced have not been used to commit violent crimes, and most guns used to commit violent crimes are never traced.

-- FBI reports contradict the Violence Policy Center's claim about "assault weapons" and the police. FBI incident summaries indicate that the guns are rarely used to kill police officers.

-- Semi-automatics are not machine guns. Machine guns have been regulated by the National Firearms Act since 1934. By comparison, semi-automatics, like other guns, fire only one shot at a time.

-- Semi-automatics are not "more powerful" than other guns. Semi-auto rifles and shotguns use the same ammunition as other guns. Semi-auto pistols use ammunition comparable to, but shaped differently than, revolver ammunition. The AK-47, which anti-gun groups call "high powered," is less powerful than the modestly- powered .30-30 Winchester, the most popular deer rifle in American history.

------

Affiliated with: The Director of Civilian Marksmanship, The National Rifle Association, The Virginia Outdoor Sports Information Network, Virginia Firearms Education Institute, Inc., National Shooting Sports Foundation, Virginia Wildlife Federation

http://www.usnewswire.com/

**Rich Lucibella** · May 18, 2004, 09:36 PM

Huzzah!
Great news.
Rich

dZ · May 18, 2004, 09:38 PM

http://www.halttheassault.com/

MAY

May 9
Washington, DC

May 18
Richmond, VA

May 20-22
Raleigh, NC

JUNE

June 1-3
St. Louis, MO

June 4-5
San Antonio, TX

June 6-10
Minneapolis, MN

June 10-12
Duluth, MN

June 14-15
Milwaukee, WI

June 16-22
Illinois Tour

June 26-28
Cleveland, OH

JULY

July 2-7
Pittsburgh, PA

July 9-13
Philadelphia, PA

July 16
Trenton, NJ

July 18-20
Portland, ME

July 22-23
New Hampshire

July 25-28
Boston, MA

AUGUST

August 1-2
Detroit, MI

August 5-6
Denver, CO

August 10-11
Seattle, WA

August 12-14
Portland, OR

August 18-19
Phoenix, AZ

August 22-24
Albuquerque, NM

August 29-31
New York City

SEPTEMBER

September 1
New York City

September 13
Assault Weapons Ban Expires

Standing Wolf · May 18, 2004, 10:44 PM

Those are the invisible supporters who always vote for representatives of the Democratic (sic) party in amazingly large numbers.

May 18, 2004, 09:10 PM	#1
dZ Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 1999 Location: the Fetid Swamp, DC Posts: 7,565	VCDL: MMM report from Richmond VA-ALERT: MMM meeting in Richmond a bust! Actually I should have reworded that title ;-) The press conference started shortly after Richmond Mayor McCollum arrived in the bright pink Million Mom March gun-ban-mobile. The Richmond NBC affiliate, Channel 12, had its cameras rolling as the Mayor addressed no one but the staff of the MMM march and 25 children, most of whom looked bored, behind him. In fact the only people in front of the mayor were Channel 12 and VCDL! Literally I did not see a single adult that wasn't on the staff of MMM, on the staff of VAHV, or a politician. We had 6 adults (5 men and 1 woman) and no kids. We held up a "Guns Save Lives" banner and directed it towards the press conference. As far as politicians, there were two: Mayor McCollum and Delegate Eisenberg (thanks Northern Virginia for sending us another anti-gun delegate). Delegate Eisenburg, as you may recall, was going to submit a 50 caliber gun ban this year, but in the end didn't do it (smart move on his part). However, he told the invisible crowd today that he was going to put in an "assault weapon ban" bill next year, along with a .50 caliber bill. I look forward to working for the defeat of Delegate Eisenberg's bills in January. When the invisible crowd left, Delegate Eisenberg made a point of walking through our group to get to his car. We politely parted to let him through, but it was almost like he wanted a confrontation based on his demeanor. He picked to wrong group of people if that's what he wanted. Toward the end of the press conference one of the speakers addressed the children, pointed to our group, and said "We have them outnumbered!" Yes, and the moon is made of green cheese. A NATIONAL organization and its local affiliate could not turn out a single adult concerned citizen and THEY have US outnumbered? Silly me, I keep forgetting that according to their lobbyist, Robert Ricker, none of our victories this year would have happened if the anti-gunners had felt a need to block our bills ;-) I called Channel 12 to complain about our group not being interviewed so that we could give the opposing argument. The news person who answered the phone apologized, saying that the crew was called off early because of breaking news elsewhere. I will give them the benefit of the doubt because one of the camera guys did get a call on his cell phone just before they pulled up stakes and left a little prematurely. The news person said that someone might call me tonight and interview me over the telephone. We'll see... Anyway, we now pass the baton to our North Carolina neighbors. The MMMs are heading to Raleigh. I assume the invisible crowd will be following them down there. __________________ "O tell the Lacedomecians to damn the torpedoes." BOTR, Chapter V: Some Monsters Last edited by dZ; May 18, 2004 at 09:12 PM.

May 18, 2004, 09:24 PM	#2
RAY WOODROW 3RD Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 1999 Location: Beverly, N.J. U.S.A. Posts: 786	Hey...... Where did this happen, at the state house? Is anybody else in their "touring states" going to provide a counter rally of some sort? __________________ __________________ "MOST talk the talk but can NEVER walk the walk." "The key to success in ANY battle is effective communications." From NJ? Check out "njcsd.com"

May 18, 2004, 09:35 PM	#3
dZ Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 1999 Location: the Fetid Swamp, DC Posts: 7,565	Gun Ban Lobby Aims for Wrong Target; Brady Moms Should Push for Controlling Criminals, Not Law-Abiding Gun Owners 5/18/2004 4:29:00 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: National Desk Contact: David Adams of Virginia Shooting Sports Association, 804-382-9501 or http://www.myvssa.org RICHMOND, May 18 /U.S. Newswire/ -- As the Million Mom March pink RV rolls into Richmond to push for re-authorization of the Clinton Gun Ban, the Virginia Shooting Sports Association (VSSA), the state affiliate of the National Rifle Association, urged Congress to let the ban expire as scheduled on September 13th. Steve Canale, President of the VSSA said, "Sadly, Mayor McCollum is following in the footsteps of his predecessor Tim Kaine, bowing at the alter of the Million Mom March and their call for more restrictive gun control." Canale continued, "Today the gun ban lobby has traveled to Virginia to renew their call for reauthorization of the Clinton gun ban. Even the gun ban lobby's own Tom Diaz (Violence Policy Center) told NPR on March 11, 2004 that, 'If the existing assault weapons ban expires, I personally do not believe it will make one whit of difference one way or another in terms of our objective, which is reducing death and injury and getting a particularly lethal class of firearms off the streets. So if it doesn't pass, it doesn't pass.'" Faced with the prospect of the Clinton gun ban expiring on September 13, the gun ban lobby is once again engaging in a desperate and deceptive political campaign. In this latest attempt to push their political agenda through blatant hype and deliberate misinformation, the Brady Campaign, in referring to "Uzis" and "AK-47s," states that, these specific firearms will be in our neighborhoods unless the Clinton gun ban is renewed. "The truth is that AK-47s and Uzis were prohibited in 1989, under federal firearm importation law, five years prior to the enactment the Clinton ban! The expiration of the Clinton gun ban will not in any way affect this previous law. The gun ban lobby including the Brady Campaign is lying. This RV tour is more about politics than sound policy. What works is locking up violent criminals, not taking away the rights of law abiding citizens" Canale said. More facts about semi-automatic firearms that the gun ban lobby does not tell the public: -- Firearms branded as "assault weapons" have never been used in more than 1 percent-2 percent of violent crimes according to police reports and felon surveys, and in only 0.25 percent of violent crimes reported in crime victim surveys. Congress` study found that the guns "were never used in more than a modest fraction of all gun murders."3 Knives, clubs and bare hands are used in more than 20 times more murders. -- Millions of Americans use semi-autos for hunting, target shooting and protection. Guns like the hunting and target shooting rifles shown below would be banned under federal and/or state "assault weapon" bills. The Remington Models 7400 and 7600, and Browning BAR, are popular deer rifles. Remington`s Model 1100 and Beretta`s Model 391 shotguns are widely used for hunting and sport shooting. The Colt AR-15 and Springfield M1A are the nation's most popular rifles for marksmanship competitions. Ruger Ranch Rifles and 10/22s are popular hunting and plinking rifles. AR-15 National Match Rifle Springfield National Match Rifle -- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says it can "in no way vouch for the validity" of Brady Campaign's claim that the federal "assault weapon" law reduced crime. Brady mischaracterized BATFE`s firearm chain-of-commerce traces, which the Congressional Research Service says "are not accurate indicators" of criminal gun use. Most guns that are traced have not been used to commit violent crimes, and most guns used to commit violent crimes are never traced. -- FBI reports contradict the Violence Policy Center's claim about "assault weapons" and the police. FBI incident summaries indicate that the guns are rarely used to kill police officers. -- Semi-automatics are not machine guns. Machine guns have been regulated by the National Firearms Act since 1934. By comparison, semi-automatics, like other guns, fire only one shot at a time. -- Semi-automatics are not "more powerful" than other guns. Semi-auto rifles and shotguns use the same ammunition as other guns. Semi-auto pistols use ammunition comparable to, but shaped differently than, revolver ammunition. The AK-47, which anti-gun groups call "high powered," is less powerful than the modestly- powered .30-30 Winchester, the most popular deer rifle in American history. ------ Affiliated with: The Director of Civilian Marksmanship, The National Rifle Association, The Virginia Outdoor Sports Information Network, Virginia Firearms Education Institute, Inc., National Shooting Sports Foundation, Virginia Wildlife Federation http://www.usnewswire.com/ __________________ "O tell the Lacedomecians to damn the torpedoes." BOTR, Chapter V: Some Monsters

May 18, 2004, 09:36 PM	#4
Rich Lucibella Staff Join Date: October 6, 1998 Location: South Florida Posts: 10,006	Huzzah! Great news. Rich __________________ *TheFiringLine.com* More Signal, Less Noise.....please

May 18, 2004, 09:38 PM	#5
dZ Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 1999 Location: the Fetid Swamp, DC Posts: 7,565	tour schedule http://www.halttheassault.com/ MAY May 9 Washington, DC May 18 Richmond, VA May 20-22 Raleigh, NC JUNE June 1-3 St. Louis, MO June 4-5 San Antonio, TX June 6-10 Minneapolis, MN June 10-12 Duluth, MN June 14-15 Milwaukee, WI June 16-22 Illinois Tour June 26-28 Cleveland, OH JULY July 2-7 Pittsburgh, PA July 9-13 Philadelphia, PA July 16 Trenton, NJ July 18-20 Portland, ME July 22-23 New Hampshire July 25-28 Boston, MA AUGUST August 1-2 Detroit, MI August 5-6 Denver, CO August 10-11 Seattle, WA August 12-14 Portland, OR August 18-19 Phoenix, AZ August 22-24 Albuquerque, NM August 29-31 New York City SEPTEMBER September 1 New York City September 13 Assault Weapons Ban Expires __________________ "O tell the Lacedomecians to damn the torpedoes." BOTR, Chapter V: Some Monsters

May 18, 2004, 10:44 PM	#6
Standing Wolf Senior Member Join Date: April 26, 2002 Location: Colorado Posts: 745	Those are the invisible supporters who always vote for representatives of the Democratic (sic) party in amazingly large numbers. __________________ No tyrant should ever be allowed to die of natural causes.